NCUCC Meeting Minutes
March 13, 2001
Charlotte, NC
Call to Order - Steve Nichols, Chairman
Steve welcomed everyone and thanked the Carolinas AGC and Allen Gray for hosting the meeting. Introductions were made of the group.
Old Business
A. Treasurer’s report – George Glenn reported there are currently no outstanding expenses or checks. The account balance for the NCUCC is $1,522.25.
B. Next meeting – The Joint Seminar is in Charleston, SC on May 16 – 18. Call Steve Nichols in NC or Marion Leaphart in SC regarding questions regarding the seminar. Handout regarding the joint seminar was given to everyone. Don’t forget to register for the seminar and make your hotel reservations.
C. Committee Reports
A. NCDOT – Aydren Flowers reported the 2001 Map Books and the draft TIP books are available. The final books will be ready in July. Aydren asked companies to check in book when installing new facilities to help eliminate problems with highway projects. Please call NCDOT regarding questions on projects. During 2000 contracted $1.1 billion projects and $300 million project were in the December letting. Aydren thanked everyone for helping the NCDOT meet their goals. The highway fund is alive and well. Lots of projects are coming down the pike. There are 3 or 4 new committees within the NCDOT. These committees are charged by the legislature of innovative ways to save time and money for highway relocation projects and ways to do business better. 1) Encroachment committee – need to streamline process. 2) Directional boring committee – haven’t developed a statewide approval, but everyone is doing this type boring. Carolinas AGC approached the State regarding what they need for directional boring (task force) and to look at the best way to implement. 3) Highway Utility Issues Course – NCDOT will pilot this course and host in Raleigh. Presently the course is full. Another course will be scheduled for the fall if this one goes well.
B. One Call Center – George Glenn reported three damage prevention breakfasts held so far this year. The breakfasts were in Wilmington, Charlotte, and Shelby with one coming up in Clinton on April 18th. The next One Call Board Meeting is scheduled for April 20. The location is Sea Trail at Sunset Beach. George welcomed everyone to attend. New membership campaign underway. George mentioned there is a party interested in offering to pay for membership to those counties with new gas lines. NC One Call getting word out to different areas by phone calls and personal visits. NC One Call currently has 242 members.
Through February, the NC One Call Center has taken 260,520 locate requests. This is an 11% decrease over the same period last year. This decrease is attributable to the policy change of the term of a locate – going from 10 working days to 15 working days and contractors and utilities are planning their work more accurately.
The NCOCC sent out 1,708,484 notifications to members so that underground lines could be located. This represents a 9% decrease over last year. This decrease is directly related to those impacts of ticket volume and the changes in the mapping system. That is going from a quarter mile to a quarter minute and in some cases to a gridlet that is 264 feet in size.
One significant change for the NCOCC is in the process of implementation. The centers in Conover and Greensboro will continue to act in tandem, but will begin to utilize separate computers in taking locate requests and sending out notifications. As a result, tickets taken in Greensboro the ticket number will be preceded by the letter A and in Conover the number will be preceded by the letter C. This latest change is another major step for the back-up system capabilities.
Along those lines, when the state experienced the “unexpected” snow on February 22, NCOCC did not open the centers in Greensboro or Conover. They operated with the “work-at-home” forces only and took in excess of 3000 locate requests. This was totally transparent to anyone calling the center.
C. Power Companies – Larry Morris reported Duke Power is using a project management web based software. They are starting a pilot with NCDOT using the month of April for the first round of training. Larry introduced Andy Russell who will be handling the joint use function for Duke.
D. Gas companies – Madison co. expansion project into Mars Hill 40% complete. Asheville region damages appear to be down. Building a new facility in Troutman which will incorporate the Mooresville and Statesville offices. Sandra Johnson with PSNC Energy reported Raleigh is looking at opening an office in Apex. Lots of work going on in Wake Co. and lots of damages. Office on Hillsborough Street closed and moved to Spring Forest Rd. Dick Carter with Piedmont Natural Gas reported the District office in Spruce Pines is open. Damages reported to be down for most gas companies.
E. Telecommunication Companies – Ron Horne, Sprint reported damages increased nationwide, but damages in NC have gone down. Finding less and less people who have not called in for locates. Several joint trench projects going on – widely embraced by developing communities. Joint trenching damages down - Jerel Hoffman, BellSouth reported Eastern region damages up by 5% contributed by CATV dig ins. Keith Patterson, BellSouth reported customers have opportunity to purchase insurance policy to ensure consequences to fiber optic damages because of high capacity circuits. These customers are guaranteed service and BellSouth will pass on any refunds to individuals who have interrupted services. Fred Storie, Verizon experiencing successful co-locates in Western NC. Damages are down, some fibers cut recently that put Western Region out of services for 9 hours.
F. Cable TV – CBB building communications network in Charlotte and are doing some joint trenching. Randy Connell, TWC established new department to work with developers and builders within new subdivisions. Damages remain stable. Working in subdivisions to find mechanism to get services in right after Duke. Wiley Cruise and Floyd Williams developed commercial regarding damage prevention.
G. Contractors – Allen Gray reported the AGC is continuing to promote the common ground alliance (www.commongroundalliance.com) and educate members on damage prevention and best practices.
H. Consultants – Mike Davis, Joint Use $olutions and formerly with Duke Power thanked everyone for the opportunity for visiting in a different capacity. Joey Johnson, Venturesome, talked about overhead facilities and need to label because of accidents and standpoint of contractor performing inventories. Identifying poleowner – recommend permanent marking by pole owners
I. Locate companies – not represented.
J. Local UCC Reports – Sandra Johnson, PSNC Energy reported that Wake County UCC meets the last Tuesday each month. Jerel Hoffman, Glenn Flowers, Chris Russ and Sandra Johnson are available to go to contractor safety meetings. They have 100 contractors on their mailing list. Wake County meets at 600 W. Cabarrus St., Raleigh on March 27 at 10:00 am. Mecklenburg County UCC – contractor breakfast in February – targeted worst offenders – 65 people attended breakfast for Foothills committee. Wiley Cruise talked of contractor breakfasts and mentioned orange paint markings again.
K. Utilities Commission – Gas prices increase came from wholesale folks in the Gulf. – new area codes coming in the Charlotte area – will have to dial area code for local calls because of overlay.
Program – Stephanie Saintsing – NC One Call Center and the Internet. Stephanie is a Marketing rep for web ticket entry with NCOCC. Web ticket entry allows folks to enter their own locate tickets via the Internet. Also includes electronic mapping and no time constraints on entering tickets. Web ticket entry saves 19 operators at the NC One Call Center which in turn saves member companies. 420,000 tickets entered annually using the OCARS Program. Also the ticket entry system interfaces with the Quick Map 2000 system. See Stephanie for training or getting your company set up to use this ticket entry method. System is internet based with no special computer setup necessary. Stephanie also mentioned the need to start receiving tickets on the web instead of by modem or printer.
Again, don’t
forget to register for the Joint Seminar in Charleston, SC, May 16 – 18.